1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automatic telephone message devices, and more particularly to a telephone message device for automatically delivering a pre-recorded message to each of several preselected telephone numbers
2. The Prior Art
Devices for automatically delivering a recorded message to an incoming telephone caller are well known and have been in use for many years. Further, devices for automatically dialing preselected telephone numbers are also well known and generally available to telephone users. These devices are useful in taking and delivering messages in response to a telephone call and for quickly dialing a desired telephone number. However, these devices are not intended nor designed to automatically contact and deliver recorded messages to specified telephone numbers.
Due to the high cost of in-patient health care for the physically incapacitated, and the increasing expense of convalescent homes and nursing care for the aged, as well as the desire of many such persons to be independent, the numbers of aged persons or those with fragile health who electr to live alone are becoming very large. These persons could, at any time, become incapacitated from disease or accident, so as to be physically unable to contact someone for help. These occurrences too often result in the death of the person because his condition is not discovered at an early stage.
There is, therefore, a great unfilled need to have a reliable system for notifying and communicating the whereabouts of such aged or incapacitated persons in emergency situations.
One system directed to this need provides the aged or incapacitated person with a small remote transmitter similar to a conventional garage door opener. A telephone device, responsive to this remote transmitter signal, is attached to the user's telephone system. If the user suffers illness or if he is in need of police or fire assistance, he presses the appropriate button on the transmitter. The transmitter produces a signal which causes the telephone device to transmit signals over the telephone lines to a dispatch center which is equipped with a computer. The telephone device causes the computer at the dispatch center to produce the user's file on a display screen where it is viewed by an operator. Upon reviewing the user's file and determining what is needed, the operator will call up to three different telephone numbers to get help.
Clearly, the above-described system is cumbersome at best since it requires constant monitoring by a remote operator, who must himself perform the functions of calling the specified numbers, and communicating the desired message. Further, the user becomes very restricted in his ability to leave the local area since the transmitter range for activation of such a telephone device is inherently short (generally much less than one mile). Also, there is no provision for an alarm or other check-in device to monitor the presence and health status of the user. Still further, the costs of such a system are necessarily high due to required periodic fees to provide for the continuing service and maintenance of the centralized computer and operators.
An improvement to this sytem has been proposed wherein a device, having a message pre-recorded on an endless tape, is connected to the home telephone. This device may be activated by a timer at a specified time, or by a remote activation device such as a conventional garage door opener. The activated device begins calling a series of predetermined telephone numbers, and at the same time the endless tape begins playing, its signal output being transmitted through the telephone lines.
Although this device can, in fact, notify parties that help is needed, it has several limitations which reduce its effectiveness. First, the pre-recorded message is permanent, and may not be modified to suit peculiar needs of the incapacitated party. Secondly, the proposed device does not recognize when a previously called telephone number has been answered, and thus it continues dialing all specified numbers ad infinitum until the device operation is manually terminated. Further, the proposed device does not permit postponement or termination of the alarm activation by a remote user. The above-described device provides only limited freedom to the user since prior to leaving home the incapacitated party must either turn off the automatic alarm activation capability of the device, or be sure that he returns prior to the time specified.
Thus, what is needed is an automatic telephone message device which may be activated manually, automatically or remotely for communicating a desired message to parties answering at one of the several specified telephone numbers. The messge of the device should be easily modified in order to inform the called party of the whereabouts of the incapacitated person, and any special needs of that person. The device should permit remote modification of the alarm activation time, and the system operation should further allow initiation or termination of operation from a remote telephone. The device should also detect when the called number has been answered, and should refrain from repeated callings of an answered telephone number. A device such as this would truly offer adequate protection for an aged or incapacitated person while still permitting a great amount of freedom to that person, with minimum risk of annoyance or nuisance to the called party.